2022 - 2023 Illinois General Assembly Food and Agriculture Legislative Wins
Image Credit: Yinan Chen
During 2022-2023 we’ve worked with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Illinois Environmental Council, Illinois Public Health Institute Alliance for Health Equity, and Greater Chicago Food Depository to compile all of the food related legislative wins! All of the following pieces of legislation are headed to Governor Prizker’s desk to be signed into law.
While we’ve listed a few organizations that have been leading the charge for food justice and equity, it takes a village! Countless organizations, businesses, and individuals worked together to make all of these victories possible.
Farm, Garden, and Small Business
Illinois Farm to Food Bank Act (HB2879)
Summary: This act creates the Farm to Food Bank Program—a program to increase the supply of nutritious, Illinois-grown and raised foods for Illinois families struggling to put food on the table. The program includes capacity-building grants that will support new suppliers, including small and urban agricultural growers. and farms with connecting to the emergency food system. This legislation is the result of years of collaboration between Feeding Illinois, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Specialty Growers Association, the Illinois Commission to End Hunger, and other dedicated advocates.
Why this matters:
Connects food banks with farms and new suppliers, including small and urban agricultural growers.
Provides capacity-building grants that will support and build up the emergency food system by allowing foods banks to purchase perishable products like fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, meat, and eggs directly from Illinois producers.
Supports the aggregation, processing, transportation, storage, and distribution of agricultural products to underserved areas.
Sources:
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Healthy Soils & Water/Partners for Conservation Act (SB1701)
Summary: This act amends the Soil and Water Conservation Districts Act and creates the Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds Initiative which aims to improve the health of soils and the function of watersheds. Under this act, the Department of Agriculture protected a conservation program and allocated $18 million in funding for the Partners for Conservation Fund. In addition, the Department of Agriculture changed its guidelines to assist soil and water conservation districts meet their local soil health goals and implement soil health and watershed conservation projects targeting areas with high soil pollution. This legislative victory came as the result of collaboration between the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and the Illinois Environmental Council.
Why this matters:
This act broadens the definition of "soil health” and recognizes soil and water as important components of ecosystems and encourages local conservation efforts and projects.
Increases federal funding and support given to farmers voluntarily adopting sustainable agriculture practices and also funds the county Soil Water Conservation projects throughout the state.
These efforts support the implementation of the State's Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy which prioritizes reducing nutrient loss, improving soil and water quality, protecting drinking water, increasing the resilience of ecosystems against climate change, and protecting and improving agricultural productivity.
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Land Access
Counties Leasing Farmland (HB1076)
Summary: This bill allows county property leasing provisions to be made upon majority vote by county boards in Illinois. The bill also ensures that farmland may be leased to either public or private entities for the public purpose of financially supporting the operations of the county government at any time or times and on any terms and conditions that the county board deems best this includes, but not limited to, crop-sharing arrangements. This legislation was sponsored by Representative Yednock and Senator Jason Plummercame.
Why this matters:
Reinforces county and state government support for land access both for smaller and local farms as well as bigger and large-scale farms.
Supports an additional avenue for public land acquisition for small farmers across Illinois.
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Heirs' Property Task Force (HJR0006)
Summary: This bill establishes a task force whose main goals are to determine the amount of land in Illinois that is subject to the heirs' property system -a system where family owned land is jointly owned by descendants of a deceased person whose estate did not have a clear or marketable title to the property. This legislative victory is the result of efforts led by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and was sponsored by Representative Harper.
Why this matters:
Heirs' property is most predominant among African American landholders. This task force will support government studies of the impacts of federal and State legislation on the partition of heirs' property.
Over the last hundred years an estimated 4.7 million to 16 million acres of heirs’ property has been lost and this task force will determine possible new methods and approaches to address heirs' property that could be applied to Illinois.
This task force will also help support intergenerational Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and low-income farming families and communities across the state of Illinois in securing family and ancestral land.
Sources:
Illinois Department of Agriculture
Food Equity and Access
Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS)
Summary: The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program supports the purchasing and distribution of local and regional foods and beverages in schools to serve children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This agreement was made between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The program will provide schools in Illinois with more than $7.3 million of federal funding to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs. The LFS program is a national program spearheaded by the USDA. Applications are open now! All schools are encouraged to apply.
Why does this matter:
Strengthens relationships between underserved local growers and schools.
Ensures students have access to nutritious and healthy foods in their schools.
Helps to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets.
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Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA)
Summary: The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program will provide up to $900 million of federal funding for state, tribal and territorial governments. The funding from this program will be allocated to purchasing foods produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination and to help support local, regional and underserved growers. This program is supported by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Why this matters:
Allows states, tribes and territories to maintain and improve their food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.
Supports local growers and farmers in delivering their product to consumers.
Provides consumers with access to more locally and regionally grown foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, culturally unique to their geographic areas.
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Local food Infrastructure (HB0054)
Summary: Illinois now has a new $2 million Local Food Infrastructure Grant program. The bill was modeled after a number of programs from neighboring states which have already been supporting their local food system with similar grant programs for years. Farmers, cooperatives, local food businesses, local governments, and non-profits are eligible to apply, so long as their project improves processing, aggregation, and/or distribution of local foods raised on Illinois farms! This legislative victory is the result of efforts led by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and the Illinois Environmental Council.
Why this matters:
Farmers and food system leaders across the state that Illinois lacks critical infrastructure, such as mills, food hubs, butcheries, and processing equipment to get food from farms to the people, schools, and institutions that need it.
This is a very ambitious piece of legislation and its passage shows the importance of collaboration and community. Introducing any request for new funding in Illinois is almost always a dubious, multi-year process, but public support showed lawmakers that this is a critical need for our state! Not only did you help get the bill passed, but you helped win double the funding that we expected! Give yourself an enormous high five and look for the grant fund to open up early next year.
This new grant fund will help build resilient local food supply chains and food security as it will support farmers, food businesses, livestock processors, coops, and local governments purchase equipment to scale up local food production and supply chains. Grant awards under this program will be between $1000 and $150,000.
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Healthy School Meals for All (PA103-0532)
Summary: Once funded, this law will bring free school meals back to Illinois by using federal funding to expand access to school meals! The bill will also support the Illinois State Board of Education, schools, and districts across the state by providing schools with State funding to make up the difference in costs not covered by federal funds. This legislation has been worked on by the IAPO coalition partners and other legislative champions to ensure the state invests in nourishing and high-quality meals for students while also leveraging available federal funds to provide these meals for free. This legislative victory came as the result of collaboration between several organizations including (but not limited to) the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI/IAPO), and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Why this matters:
Illinois Free Lunch and Breakfast Program funding has been cut significantly in the last 10 years and federal school meal waivers that kept K-12 students fed during the COVID-19 pandemic expired in June 2022. This bill will give students access to free, healthy school meals and will improves their health, academic performance, and reduce stigma associated with qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
Relieves schools of the administrative burden and school meal debt associated with operating eligibility-based federal meal programs.
Making free school meals available to all children can reduce disparities in health and education outcomes and advance racial equity.
Sources:
Illinois Public Health Institute
Grocery Initiative Act (SB0850)
Summary: This act establishes the Illinois Grocery Initiative - a multi-pronged policy designed to address food deserts across Illinois and supports research about food insecurity in urban and rural food deserts by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The act will fund $20 million to addressing food deserts, with the majority supporting grocers in Illinois. The legislation will support independently owned for-profit grocery stores with grants as part of the program and, providing them the opportunity to receive tax credits and other incentives. This legislative victory came as the result of collaboration between the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) and the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC).
Why this matters:
Supports marginalized communities facing food insecurity in Illinois with receiving more fresh, nutrient-dense food through local grocery stores.
This act will provide resources for existing grocers to stay open and new grocery stores to open up in food deserts around Illinois.
The research supported by this act will inform new and upcoming policies and community actions around food deserts in Illinois.
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Outdoor Rx Program (HB1526)
Summary: This act establishes the Outside Rx Program which authorizes the Department of Public Health to make and distribute grants for outdoor environmental, ecological, agricultural, or other natural resource-based or outdoor-based therapy programs serving the citizens of the State of Illinois. This legislative victory was led by the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) and sponsored by Representatives Sonya M. Harper, Kam Buckner and Kevin Schmidt.
Why this matters:
Exposes people to more environmental and ecological spaces and resources across Illinois.
Expands the scope for mental health and therapy programming in Illinois.
Shows a positive connection between green space and mental well-being and also creates new spaces for environmental education to arise.
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Community Health and Wellbeing
Compost Awareness Week (SR0062)
Summary: This resolution declares during the first full week of May as "Compost Awareness Week.” This resolution follows the dates and theme of International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), an initiative supported and spearheaded by the compost industry. The past year’s theme of ICAW was chosen by participating international partners who focused on one of the main initiatives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): taking action against climate change and its impact. This legislative victory was led by supporting organizations including the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, Collective Resource Compost, and Go Green Winnetka, who teamed up with State Senator Laura Fine to accomplish this legislative victory.
Why this matters:
Encourages the people of Illinois and their representatives to educate themselves about ongoing composting efforts that are happening on a local, national, and international scale.
Inspires Illinois residents to start the practice of composting and to also learn about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Compost serves as a “carbon bank,” helping to store carbon thereby removing it from the atmosphere and composting helps everyday people play a role in mitigating climate change.
Sources:
Compost Research and Education Foundation
Black Farmers Week (HR0164)
Summary: This bill establishes April 23rd through April 29th as Black Farmers Week in the State of Illinois. A coalition of nearly 80 Black farmers and growers, local leaders, along with several supporting organizations, including but not limited to Grow Greater Englewood, Growing Home, Black Oaks Center, and the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, teamed up with Representative Sonya Harper, chairwoman of the House Agriculture Committee and participated in this legislative victory.
Why this matters:
Encourages the people of Illinois and their representatives in government to learn about the history of Black farming communities.
Allows Black farmers to have a time to celebrate and commemorate the rich legacy of Black farmers and farming communities that exist presently and came before them.
Highlights the impact and contributions made by African Americans to agriculture not just in Illinois but across the United States.
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Increase Fines For Exposure To Pesticides (SB0203)
Summary: This amendment changes the Illinois Pesticide Act and creates a new penalty structure for any person applying a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with the label that results in human exposure. Under the new penalty structure, the amount of the penalty escalates based on the number of humans exposed to the pesticide. This legislative victory is the result of collaborative efforts from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Illinois Environmental Council, Legal Aid Chicago, Citizen Action Illinois, and the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
Why this matters:
Deters farms (especially, large scale farms) from poisoning their farmworkers.
Addresses a past occurrence in 2019 where over 20 migrant farmworkers in DeWitt County were exposed to the harmful effects of pesticide and were still expected to return to work.
Provides an additional layer of legal protection for farmworkers, especially migrant farm workers in the state of Illinois.
Sources:
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Plumbing License-Bottle Fill (HB1715)
Summary: This bill is an amendment to the Illinois Plumbing License Law and requires that for each drinking fountain being installed and constructed by the Department of Public Health, there will also be a bottle filling station or a combined bottle filling station and drinking fountain. This legislative victory was led by the American Hospital Association and sponsored by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, Julie A. Morrison, Mary Edly-Allen, Adriane Johnson, and Rachel Ventura.
Why this matters:
Encourages the use of reusable water bottles.
Promotes access to and increases the availability of clean and safe drinking water.
Improves state infrastructure and reduces plastic pollution and lead contamination.
Sources:
Illinois Environmental Council
Consumer Owned Containers (HB2086)
Summary: This bill allows restaurants and retailers to fill or refill a consumer-owned container with ready-made food. This bill also allows clean consumer-owned containers given to a restaurant or retailer for filling or refilling to be returned to the same consumer. The filled or refilled consumer-owned containers used must be designed and constructed for reuse in accordance with specified federal requirements. This legislation came about from the support and sponsorship of Illinois state Representatives Anne Stava-Murray, Dagmara Avelar and Kam Buckner.
Why this matters:
It makes sustainability more accessible for everyday consumers who are looking for the opportunity to reduce waste.
It prevents additional and unnecessary waste by restaurants and retailers, as the consumer-owned containers would help them save inventory and resources.
Sources:
Safe Use of Reusable Containers Committee (SURCC)
Alternative Protein Innovation Commission (HB3710)
Summary: This bill establishes the Alternative Protein Innovation task force to study the state and future of the alternative protein industry in Illinois. The Task Force will investigate alternative proteins and develop a master plan of recommendations for fostering the appropriate expansion of alternative protein (plant-based and food-technology alternatives to animal protein) innovation in Illinois. This piece of legislation was sponsored by Rep. Lakesia Collins, Camille Y. Lilly and Justin Slaughter.
Why this matters:
Supporting the alternative protein sector means supporting and paving the way for more meat alternatives for people who are vegan and vegetarian.
This bill helps expand the market for farmers who grow alternative protein crops.
The task force has the potential to promote regenerative agricultural practices inside the alternative protein industry of Illinois that could move Illinois farmers towards a more sustainable future.
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